"We talked about what the actual Games itself would be like,'' Perkins said.

"But being a 1500 metre swimmer, the thing that he left me with was just this notion around holding your rhythm and not letting you the middle of the race get away from you, and the aura of what it was you were a part of.

"And that was really quite significant for me because it was the difference between breaking world records and not. That was something that I carried with me really for the rest of my career."

Widely regarded as one of the sport's great distance swimmers, Rose was one of eight flag-bearers of the Olympic flag at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

"He was always willing to help the younger generation coming through and he'll be a great and sad loss to the Australian community," she said.

Fraser said he may have won more Olympic gold had he been allowed to trial for the 1964 Tokyo Games while living in the US to try his hand at acting.

Swimming Australia president David Urquhart said his passing is a great loss for the sport.

"The name Murray Rose is synonymous with success in the sport of swimming, and his achievements in Melbourne in 1956 will go down as the stuff of legend," he said.

"Murray Rose is part of the swimming DNA in this country. His success inspired a generation and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and close friends during this difficult time."

Among the current and former swimmers to pay tribute was butterfly veteran Geoff Huegill, who said on Twitter: "Sad to hear about Murray Rose. True Australian swimming legend. My thoughts are with you and your family."

In a joint statement released on Sunday night, Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Sports Minister Kate Lundy said Australia had lost one of its greatest Olympians.

"Murray was a true pioneer of Australian swimming and his impressive feats in the pool helped to shape Australia's destiny as a successful sporting nation.

"Murray will be remembered fondly as a sporting legend who inspired the next generations of elite athletes and helped to propel Australia's sporting success in future Olympics.

"There is no disputing that the Olympian was a champion in the pool, but Murray also made an immense contribution to the community through charity work and as patron of the The Rainbow Club which teaches children with a disability to swim."

It's a fundamental human yearning to be a part of something bigger than one's self, and maybe that's what drove my mate Ash to die, far from home, in a bloody foreign war against Islamic State, writes C August Elliott.